WW2 in East Africa

To claim only the SAAF’s 40+ aircraft, however important their contribution, stood alone against 300 Italian is a propaganda myth.

Please check again in the movie: at no time is said or insinuated or claimed that the SAAF stood alone against the RA. Maybe you interpret it that way, but it was definitely not meant to be that way. Remember the narrative is from the point of view of the SAAF and goes: “At the outset of hostilities there were only forty SA aircraft facing an estimated 300 Italian machines”. “only” here mean there were a very few South African aircraft and does not mean they were the only Allied aircraft in the conflict which is of course wrong.

Some people commenting in this thread in any case interpreted the narrative the correct way.

Anyway we can bla bla bla here forever and we can labour the issue of misinterpretation but I still feel it is wrong to say this movie is:

a) An insult to the French:D
b) An insult to the Indians:highly_amused:
c) An insult to the British:cool:
d) A myth:mad:
e) Propaganda:o
e) Gross distortion:cool:
f) History Hollywood style:rolleyes:

At the start of the campaign in East Africa, the RAF had 3 squadrons of Wellesleys in the Sudan, supported by a flight of Vincents and a detachment of 112 Sq. with Gladiators. At Aden were a squadron of Blenheim fighters, a mixed unit of Blenheim bombers and Vincents, and a flight of Gladiators. Two additional squadrons of Blenheims were on their way. In Kenya was 237 Sq. (ex 1 Sq. SRAF) with a mix of Hart, Hardy and Audax, plus the SAAF’s contribution of 46 aircraft in three squadrons and a Liaison unit of light aircraft. Other units arrived in the theatre during the campaign: for a more thorough description see Christopher Shores’ Dust Clouds in the Middle East, although at least one other work was published recently. (If I find it later, I’ll edit it in here.)

To claim only the SAAF’s 40+ aircraft, however important their contribution, stood alone against 300 Italian is a propaganda myth. The 300 total includes a large number of transports, reserves and all those out of use under repair. Those combat types ready for service add up to some 187, of which 82 were the ineffectual Ca133. (Shores doesn’t give totals: by all means check my mathematics from his lists.) The SAAF and 237 Sq. with perhaps 60 aircraft directly faced the Commando Settore Aeronautica Ouest, with 12 S79s, 12 S81, 18 CR32s, 9 R037bis, and 27 Ca133. There were another 19 Ca133 in the south, at Mogadishu. Some 78 aircraft, some 51 of which were effective. I stand by my comment that picking on a small part of a larger combined force, and comparing it with the whole of the Italian forces in the theatre, is a gross distortion.

Re other contributions: yes, I was referring to the Indian Army’s role, but there was a small if sadly short-lived participation by two French Marylands and their crews. But of course they were attached to the RAF not the SAAF.

Hi everyone who commented on the film. Just discovered this thread.

Yes I made the film as a donation project for our local SAAF museum here in Cape Town.

Please note this film is a privately made thing with zero budget and my free hours. All animated maps, animated flight scenes were self made with the help of own software and the IL-2 flight sim

Thanks for all the complements.

Thanks again Michael Auld for your permission to use your great footage on the Gladiator and Hurricane mk.1 :very_drunk:

Thanks also for the critics.

Some of the critics are a bit harsh and unfair. Remember this is a specific film concentrating on the SAAF’s role during the campaign.

I admit there are some mistakes in this movie but I made sure about the facts with the top SA historian on this topic, Michael Schoeman and he gave the thumbs up on the narrative.

Nasty comments as per example made by this fellow below, is not on:

The usual lack of response to true history vs myth. Yes, clearly it was made for a South African audience, but claims of “only 40 of ours vs 300 of theirs” is a gross distortion and does not do credit to the very real achievements of the SAAF in the theatre. It is downright insulting to the British, Indian, French and other contributors to the battles. But I guess they don’t matter. It’s only “history Hollywood style”.

Allow me to reply.

Facts are, and by no means a myth as claimed by this guy:

Then lastly in the film it is said: “The air defence in East Africa therefore fell almost entirely on the shoulders of the SAAF” This is a fact and not a myth. I am sure if you examine the total number Italian aircraft destroyed during this campaign, overall but particularly in the air, you will find that the vast majority of those losses were caused by the SAAF and thus confirms this statement.

Thanks

Thanks the non il2 Stormovik footage is mine here’s more

Thank you for sharing the fantastic footage….can I have some Bristol Bulldog please….

Thanks for the “heads-up” on this one. Some really good footage of Gladiators in there.

Thanks the non il2 Stormovik footage is mine here’s more

Great film

There is more of John Hewiston’s footage here http://johnguguhewitson.yolasite.com/ Scroll to the bottom of the page. It has loads of info on SAAF pilots.

Alex

What extraordinary footage : great to see the simple human story that could still be today; a table of empty wine bottles, fooling around on bikes and in the Mediterranean surf, just kids really. Interesting how much of the aviation footage shows the pilot decanting fuel from tins, maybe half the time was spent doing this, seeing how happily the empty tins were flung away ! Imagine all the camel trips across the wilderness that got this fuel to forgotten airfields, the wonder of modern technology dependent on the ancient ships of the desert.

It was the first time I have seen Gladiators hand started, a nice sharp Mercury coming to life in short seconds of hand cranking. I have seen Harts hand started and the erk had a stay wire to stop him falling into the prop, you would probably need more care with the Gladiator. I wonder how hard it became once the desert sand got into the cylinders.

The innovation of Dowty shock absorbing wheels make so much sense watching the Galdiator land on a desert airfield – I have just read a description of the nervousness a pilot had in landing a Hart with its fixed undercarriage on uneven ground. The whole Dowty empire was built on one stubborn man taking his wheel design and starting a company based on it, and it makes so much sense watching that Gladiator land. So much innovation and risk taking in transforming the RAF from Bulldogs in 1930 to Spitfires in 1940.

Some very nice footage indeed. The shot of the Gauntlets may be of the ones at Abu Sueir on which the SAAF pilots trained before going onto Gladiators. I can see codes on the fuselage but can’t make them out.

There is more of John Hewiston’s footage here http://johnguguhewitson.yolasite.com/ Scroll to the bottom of the page. It has loads of info on SAAF pilots.

Another great book is Springbok Fighter Victory, SAAF Fighter Operations 1940-45, Vol 1 East Africa 1940-41 by Michael Schoeman.

Alex

The usual lack of response to true history vs myth. Yes, clearly it was made for a South African audience, but claims of “only 40 of ours vs 300 of theirs” is a gross distortion and does not do credit to the very real achievements of the SAAF in the theatre. It is downright insulting to the British, Indian, French and other contributors to the battles. But I guess they don’t matter. It’s only “history Hollywood style”.

Usual “I could do better” response. I assume this was made for a South African audience to enlighten them on their input. I don’t think it was intended to be a definitive history of the conflict but just one aspect of it and as such it worked for me.

A good little film, but the commentary totally omitted all the RAF contribution. Wellesleys, Blenheims and Marylands from Aden, Gladiators, Lysanders, Hardys etc from the Sudan. Though we did see the Gauntlets, Valentia and Bombay. The “fakefilm” stuff kept showing an 80 Sq Gladiator with its YK codes (no) and I’ve doubts about the colourised Gladiators too. Obviously you have to use what you’ve got, but given the genuine stuff in there it’s a shame a slightly better job couldn’t have been done.

The best book on the (aerial) subject is still probably Shores’ “Dust Clouds in the Middle East”.

Seconded, not a conflict I knew much (if anything) about. Nice to see Gauntlets, CR32 and 42, Vickers Valentia and Bristol Bombay on film too!

Thanks for the “heads-up” on this one. Some really good footage of Gladiators in there.